Mission Marriage
by blindedbylife
Summary: Max Gregory and Fang Dente's lives have been changed forever. In order to prevent Chicago's most powerful gangs from destroying the peaces, the only children of the leaders of the Nightriders and Muted Sun will be forced to be married. Let Mission Marriage begin.
1. Chapter 1

Lights from the city blinked in the dwindling hours of twilight. Sirens, oh so many sirens, blared. Armies of lampposts and neon signs streaked their luminance through the skies. All but the brightest stars were blotted out, shining faintly. The night came to life with pounding music, tire screeches, and honks of angry cars. The lullaby of downtown Chicago.

In the tan-bricked home just on the outskirts of town – one of those stereotypical houses in the deluxe neighborhoods, complete with circular driveway, immaculate green lawn, and lush, picturesque trees framing its perimeter – a teenager lay on herbed. Her honey-blond waves spilled across the pillow. She shoved in some ear buds, tentatively hovering a finger over the "play" button on her iPod screen.

"Max!" Her mother called, her voice echoing up the main spiral staircase. "Come down. Supper is almost ready."

Ugh.

Irritably, Max swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She purposely thumped a heel to the hardwood floor in response to her mother's call. There was no point in yelling. She heard a grunt from somewhere below. Something about manners, she guessed.

Max finished braiding her long blond hair. She stood up from her vanity and walked across the room to the door. The handle was cold; the crystal glimmered as she turned the knob.

Faintly, she heard her mother and father discussing something.

"The marriage has to happen." Max picked up, as she got closer to the dining hall

"She won't be happy when she finds out," Jeb, Max's father, cautioned.

When who finds out? Max questioned in her head. Max felt a knot of warning form in her stomach.

The pale girl crept closer to the frame of the door and peered around its edge.

"It doesn't matter what she feels. She's constantly complaining about why our groups cannot make peace. She wants peace, well this is how it has to be done," Max's mother huffed and smoothed her dark hair though nothing was out of place.

Ice flooded through Max's veins. They were talking about her. She was the one who complained that the gangs couldn't make peace. She was the one who never fully understood what all of the fighting had been about.

Marriage. Marriage! Max's brain pieced the words together. They were organizing a marriage between the Nightriders and Muted Sun.

Max tried to calm herself. Her parents were probably just joking around, knowing that she was listening. She tried to convince herself.

Valecia and Jeb Gregory would never do this to me. Their only child. Max thought stubbornly.

But as the conversation continued, Max knew it was true. They were using their one child as a treaty to give to the Nightriders, the Muted Sun's only enemy. Max appeared from her hiding spot and her mother and father ceased their conversation.

"Max!" Valecia exclaimed, her voice not containing the seriousness it had only a moment before.

"Drop the act," Max hissed, her gray eyes cold and untrusting. "I heard you. You don't have to pretend you care."

Her father's eyes, the same shade as Max's, widened with surprise.

"Max, you must understand that –" Max's mother was cut off by her father.

"Don't make excuses, Valecia. We should have told her a long time ago."

How long had this been planned? Max asked herself.

"This is how it has to be, Max, or we will go to war with the Nightriders. We cannot allow that to happen," Her father explained.

"Who is it?" Max asked.

"Their twenty-three year old son."

Max gasped. Before her father could say another word, Max darted out of the room, down the hallway, and out of the door of what she used to call her home.

"**We have to move from the illusion of certainty to the certainty of illusion." **

**Hoped you like it. Please review.**

**Whoever reviews first will have the next chapter dedicated to them and the top ten reviewers for the entire story will have a special part in the last chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Look! It's before Saturday! Enjoy!**

Fang buttoned the front of his black shirt. His smooth motions steadied the excited shaking in his hands. Running a hand across his finely sculpted chin, Fang grunted in mild disapproval. Ah, he'd shave later. With a shock of black hair that veiled the mischievous glint of his black eyes, the young man was definitely not ugly. Even his skin was the perfect golden color that you have to be born with.

The twenty-three year old paused for a moment, staring into the depths of the cold piece of glass before him. This was ridiculous…He couldn't hide it. No, not even for himself. He knew.

He knew that it didn't matter. The arrogance, the conceit, the…the complete egotistical mayhem that he consumed himself with day-in and day-out could ever disguise that one fact. Fang didn't fully admire the attention he got. He loathed it. Despised it. It got to the point where Fang didn't like having anyone around him.

Sure, if he wasn't the son of powerful gang leaders, he might've learned to live a normal life; a life that consisted of love and friendship, without the worry of death and betrayal. But, unfortunately, that was impossible. Fang saw too much of what happened to people when they got close to him. When they got on the wrong side of the Nightriders.

Shaking his head, Fang shut off the light and headed to the front door. The shrill cry of the telephone jolted his smooth steps down the narrow hardwood hallway. It was probably for his father, so he started down the hallway again. When it was still ringing five seconds later Fang picked up. Only to have his father answer, also.

"Hello," Charles Dente replied, his voice filled with power and hostility. Intrigued, Fang looked at the caller ID. Restricted.

_What…?_ Fang thought. His smooth brow furrowed.

"It seems we've run into a problem." A male's voice replied. The voice sounded familiar. Fang had heard it before, but he just couldn't match it to a face.

"What kind of problem, Gregory?" Fang's father retorted. Fang could hear the barely-contained rage that seeped through.

A dramatic pause hung in the air. Within his chest, Fang's heart thumped heavily. He prayed they couldn't hear it through the mouthpiece.

"…It…It seems that Max has found out about the marriage. She overheard her mother and I talking," Jeb Gregory replied.

"How could she have heard you talking? Do you realize what you've done? This marriage has to go through or I will declare war and it will not be ended until Muted Sun is obliterated." Charles roared.

_What the hell is going on?_ Fang was beyond confused. He clutched the phone in a death-grip.

"I didn't know she was listening," the man's voice continued submissively. "All I know is that Max confronted us and when we told her she would be marrying Fang, she left the house."

Fang's mind quickly put the pieces together. Marrying him. They were arranging a marriage for him!

Fang's ears flooded with a hot whoosh of blood. The tense muscles in his arms bulged from his skin. Groaning in his clenched fists, the poor telephone threatened to burst into a million tiny fragments. The strength within the young man was astounding to most, but not to Fang, his family, or his fellow gang members. In order to survive on the streets, anywhere, you had to be a fighter.

"Fix it." Charles Dente snarled and the phone slammed down.

Fang set his phone down, using extreme self-control not to crush the piece of plastic, and strode purposefully down the carpeted steps to his father's study.

The dark-wooded door was cracked and a slit of rusty light spilled into the dark room. It would've appeared empty to most others, but Fang knew his father was inside. Like a caged tiger that curled its massive body into the most secluded corner of its enclosure to rid itself of staring grubby, cotton-candy –stuffed faces. This time, though, he was most likely fighting off the headache he got from the phone call.

The twenty-three year old didn't bother with knocking as he barged into the office, kicking the door open with a heavy boot and overturning any furniture that dared stand in his way.

"What the hell?" He seethed. Fang's voice was deadly, and his father's eyes widened just enough to show surprise. As the father of Fang Dente, Charles Dente had seen his son angry. As a gang leader, he had seen Fang's strength and what he was capable of. And as both, Mr. Dente knew it wasn't a good idea to be on the receiving end of either.

"What in God's name are you talking about, Fang?" Charles asked, rubbing a hand over his weary forehead in order to compose himself.

One look from his son, and he knew those black eyes were in no mood to play games. Sighing, Charles leaned back in his chair.

"It must happen, son. There is no other way. If it would do anything, we would just sign a peace treaty. But what good would that do? There needs to be a physical commitment. So whether you agree or do not agree, you will be marrying Max Gregory. You will treat her well and be a good husband."

Fang squeezed his eyes shut. The only way to keep him from landing a punch to the side of his father's jaw. He breathed, opened his eyes, and smiled. Not just any smile. The kind of clenched-tooth smile that says, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into with me,"

Ever so quietly, Fang leaned over his father's desk, his voice controlled and quiet while he whispered, "We'll see."

With those two words Fang turned on his heel, walked out of the office, and out the front door of his house.

**Please review. We'll be trying to update as soon as each chapter is finished. **

"**To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." **


	3. Chapter 3

**So here's the thing: I'm graduating on the 21st and we have a lot going on over the next two weeks. So what's going to happening I am not promising when anything will be posted because my life has a way of throwing things out there when I least expect them. We will be trying to update at least once a week though. Also thank you to the people who reviewed. Next chapter will have a list of whose where on the reviewing list.**

With cascades of blond hair flying behind her, Max ran from the home where she thought she had belonged. She choked, attempting to force air down past the lump that had already formed in her throat. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. Anywhere was better than here. Holding back the hot, salty tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, Max threw open the front gate. She raced out; sandaled feet flying across the mossy earth.

She didn't understand how this would be for the greater good. It couldn't. No way. Her entire life Jeb had told her she could have whatever she wanted. Never had she been denied anything at all.

Memories flooded Max's hazy mind. The first, she recognized, was when she was six. It was during that crazy, horse-loving stage all girls go through. She was obsessed. Everything, everything, was about horses; reading about them, drawing them, re-decorating her room after them, taking riding lessons. Eventually, she had it in her head that she wanted a horse to call her own – a purebred slate-colored appaloosa, fifteen hands high; marbled beautifully in celestial shades of silver and grey – and she would accept it no other way. Little Max reported this to her father, to her mother, to strangers on the street. Anyone who would listen, really. Of course, though, no one in inner-city Chicago had a stable to spare. But Max was adamant. Against greater logic, Jeb had had the colt delivered by truck on his daughter's seventh birthday; ribbon and all.

Even some years later, when Max was twelve and decided that she was too smart for school, her father had let her be home-schooled until she had gotten bored.

Anyone who knew Max called her spoiled. Rich. Bratty. Selfish. Any synonym that could fitfully describe the pure greed the over-indulgent child seemed to feel in her heart. Non of it was true. Max, though, knew the game she was playing. Games and clothes and theme park trips didn't matter – she was seeing just how far she could push her mother and father. Whether she knew it or not, it was that this very game that had kept her entertained her entire life was now deciding her future. Max knew the demands she asked for were hard to keep up with, but she kept pushing. There had to be something. Something to make them crack. Some level to reach that could send her parents' willpower over the edge. Well, now Max was seventeen. And reality was that the very games she initiated had finally swallowed her up.

But how? Why? That's when it hit her. Of course… the entire reason Max could have anything she wanted was the fact that she didn't question her father about anything. The entire time Max had thought that she was in control, when really she had less power than her pet bird.

And here she was, the strong-willed, untrusting girl who was now running away from home. It clicked. It absolutely made sense. Max realized who she really was to her parents.

Obviously Max was their daughter, nothing could change that. But, unbeknownst to her, she was also a playing piece of another game – a bigger game – of which her father was the dictator. She could not stop him from moving a piece forward or backwards. Oh, she liked to think she could. And she actually believed it for some time. But it was no use… Nothing she could do was going to stop her parents from winning. And winning meant marriage for Max.

No use denying it…Max would have to get married to Nicholas Dente. Also known as Fang.

But there had to be at least some strategies to avoiding a marriage to Nicholas. None, unfortunately, would have done much good. There was an exact zero percent chance of negotiation with her parents. If she ran away, she would have been found. Even suicide crept its way into her mind. But she couldn't. If she killed herself... No. Not an option.

So, to put it blankly, she was trapped. Max would marry Nicholas Dente. Fang, but she was going to make his life a living hell.

_I hope he doesn't expect me to cook. _Max thought amusedly to herself. Every cooking appliance in the house – anything that had the slightest chance of flame, heat, or spontaneous combustion – had had locks put on them, so precious little Max would come to no harm.

The strong pounding of feet on asphalt created a steady rhythm. That is, until it was abruptly halted. Going headfirst into the ground was uncomfortable, but running headfirst into a hard body toughened by a lifetime on the streets was another matter entirely.

"Damn it!" Max raged, quickly regaining her bearings. Looking down, the teen realized that her face was inches away from another; a very familiar face that had two recognizable black abysses for eyes. The ground moved beneath her and with surprise, Max realized that she was sitting on top of someone. Not just someone though. No, this person she knew. This person was worse than Satan.

"Nicholas," Max spat hotly. "Did Jeb send you after me or were you just strolling through the park waiting for some poor innocent person to come along and give you a reason to screw up their lives?"

"Neither," Fang replied, his voice as chilling as his eyes. "I simply needed to take a breath of fresh air."

Max scoffed. She didn't believe it for a second. Seething, Max gratefully hopped off of her worst enemy.

"You're lying," she enunciated. "You've been keeping tabs on me. You're probably the one who suggested all of this shit, aren't you?"

The twenty-three year old's lips curled into a devilishly sarcastic smile, "You think that if I had the choice I would choose to marry you?" Fang had never been a man of many words. While considering adding more to his defense, he eventually decided to bite his tongue.

"Yes," Max retorted. "As a matter of fact, I do." The girl crossed her arms, sure in body and mind that everyone was out to get her.

Fang snorted. "So the rumors are true. You really are that full of yourself." Dramatically waving his arms, Fang made his voice into a shrill impersonation: "Oh, poor me! No one ever does what I say. Everything bad happens to me. Blah blah blah bl -"

Max's cheeks burned. Before the twenty-three year old saw it coming, a fist came in contact with his face.

Fang fell to the ground; more surprised than anything. As crimson blood leaked out of his nose and into hiccupped hand, Max stood over her adversary and, for good measure, kicked him in the side. Look at him now, that little weakling, Max thought brashly. And he thought he could keep me down.

In one smooth, deadly motion, Fang stood up and wrenched Max's arm, splintering the bone in his grip. One look at his flaming eyes, wild hair, and clinched, bloodstained face, and Max immediately regretted her brash misjudgment. Fang looked wild. Feral. Murderous. Unfeeling.

Max's eyes widened, heart barely beating. Never in her entire life had someone been so rough with her. After a few moments, Max's conscience broke through the frigidity of her initial fear. This is what I need, she thought. A fight. I'll show him I'm not going to give in to him.

Max tensed. Closing her eyes, her mind raced through combat strategies as she readied herself for a punch. However, something very different happened. The crunching grip on her arm relaxed, released. Max was relieved in a sense, but quickly disappointed. Her arm tingled. A little from the immense pressure of Fang's hands, of course, but also… something else. Something different.

Fang closed his eyes and swallowed; swallowing the urge to maim her right there and then.

"Here's the thing Max," He said quietly. "I'm not happy about this either. I didn't choose this. How could you believe that this is what I want? To be forced to marry a girl I've met only a few times, and those few times we were fighting?" Fang took a deep breath.

Max's mouth ran dry. Her mind blanked. "I-I-I-I'm sorry." Max set her light brown eyes on Fang's black ones. They were calm and unattached, but wavering. Like the surface of an ocean just hours after the storm.

Max's mind grew hazy, so she shook her head to clear it. Surprisingly enough, a single crystal drop of liquid stained her cheek. When she looked up again, Max was surprised to find that Fang's eyes were not their usual cruel and uncaring, but defeated, weary ,and frustrated. His huge hand – the same one that could've easily bashed-in her skull a moment before – crossed over her face, producing a calloused thumb that brushed the tear away only to have to repeat the motion as another fell. Soon, Max was full out crying.

_Stop it! _She scolded herself. _This isn't you. Why are you crying? There's nothing to cry about. Suck it up!_

Max jabbed and clawed at her face, trying to smother the tears that wouldn't listen.

"It'll be okay." Fang soothed. Like massive wings, Fang folded his strong arms around her in an arch ,pulling Max to him. His embrace was stiff at first, but grew tighter and more forgiving. Another onslaught of tears, though, poured off Max's face. In light of it, she realized how guilty she felt. Fang was being kind to her, even though he had no reason to. He knew what family she belonged to; he knew the paranoid accusations that Max single-handedly pinned on him; he knew how Max had just injured him for telling the truth about her behavior. If Max was in his place, she would've given anyone a black eye if they did just one of those things and not nearly on the same measure as she did to Fang. Why did he forgive her? How could he forgive her? Why did he hold himself back?

Max compiled all these questions into one simple one: "Why aren't you angry?" she asked abruptly.

Fang smoothed a hand over her head – which seemed small by comparison – and down half the length of her tumbling waves, "There's no point in being angry over something that can't be changed." He whispered.

Max tore herself away from Fang's embrace and nodded. She accepted that fact the moment the words were no longer just a thought.

**To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false**

**friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.**

**Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**We're sorry it took so long to update. Fortunately, we've both graduated and school doesn't start until August so updates all summer long is what we're working on. Thanks.**

"You do realize how completely ridiculous this is? Don't you?" Max asked Fang as they sat high in an old oak tree. Her blue eyes caught the glint of the sun that rained through Fang's shaggy black hair. Currently, they were making obscene scenarios of what they could do to smother their parents' plans of running their lives like a board game. So far their ideas had been far from serious. One thing, though, was clear: Fang and Max were not going to sit there and take it. They would not obey.

"Ridiculous?" Fang smirked as Max glared at him. He was right though. In no way was it ridiculous for them to plan the downfall of their power thirsty parents. If anything was ridiculous, it was Max's parents thinking she would agree.

Fang pushed his dark hair out of his equally dark eyes. "Don't be so upset, Maxie. It isn't a secret that I am the greatest of all humans."

Max stared at him in disbelief. Seconds later, she was clutching her sides with laughter and barely keeping her grip on the ancient tree. "Haha! Oh God, you were serious! Hahaha!"

Fang glared at Max, his black eyes daring her to laugh at him again. This, however, didn't do much good. Max's laughing increased with Fang's glare.

"I'm warning you for the last time." Fang threatened. His tone had settled to a serious rumble.

"Or what?" Max teased. Obliviously, she continued laughing.

Fang paused. After thinking a bit, he chose not to respond with words, but rather actions. Fang silently alighted on his feet on the narrow branch. When the towheaded girl's back was turned, Fang leaped at her like a cat and tackled her, arms wrapped around her waist. As the two made a free-fall to the grassy turf below, Fang twisted in the air and landed Max-side up in the shadow of the tree.

Max's laughing stopped. She recoiled, slightly bewildered from the fall. Within a fraction of a second, her countenance immediately melted to anger. "Why the hell would you do that?"

Fang smiled and folded his arms behind his head, as if he'd just been dozing on the grass instead of recovering from an eight-foot drop. "It got you to stop laughing at me."

Max arched a playful eyebrow. "Well, someone has sensitive feelings."

"Do not!" Fang challenged.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

The twenty-three year old rolled his devious eyes. "This is so childish."

Max pouted and Fang smirked again. "Don't pout. It makes you actually look like a girl."

Max – while still sitting on Fang – slammed a fist into his broad chest. Fang's breath whooshed out of his lungs in surprise. Max simpered. She felt herself rise and fall as the young man drank in a deep breath. Once Fang regained his breath, the pair of them lay there, just looking at each other in silence. Fang's hand slipped under Max's fist, holding it closer to his face. Unbending her fingers, he placed a gentle kiss on her hand.

Max ripped her hand away from him. "Don't you dare." She hissed. Fang rolled his eyes. Quickly, he grabbed her hand again, kissed it, and threw it down. His lips peeled back in triumph.

"What the hell is your problem?" the teen spat irritably. "I said stop." Max's stare burrowed into Fang's smile. But on her hand, she could feel that strange tingling again. The same tingling – an odd, but pleasant sort of sensation – that she experienced when Fang spared her from his rage. When he spared her... Max could feel the hot carbonation of his kiss rush down her arm and into the middle of her chest. Her heart rate quickened. The sensation sunk down to the pit of her stomach, giving her butterflies. Feeling hot blood flood into her cheeks, Max almost let herself enjoy the feeling. Almost.

_No. No, I won't let this happen._ Max's free hand slid over to its partner, rubbing the feeling away. Rubbing the memory away.

The girl looked down at her snowy skin; the place of Fang's kiss. In truth, though, Max enjoyed it. Craved it. She wasn't mad at Fang, as Max made it seem to him. In fact, she was scared. Scared not that she would get hurt…she was Maximum. No one could hurt her….but scared of actually feeling a stronger emotion than just a one-dimensional happy or sad or angry. Terrified. Afraid of the unknown. It wasn't that she didn't feel anything. But just being near Fang, she felt something other than a friendly happiness – something deeper and stronger – which, to her, was completely alien. Max resolved that was going to try her hardest to squelch that rising feeling.

The sun was going down. The last of its golden-red rays had long since streaked through the tree leaves above, and night was coming. The grass grew cold. The shadows stretched long. And, within moments, the shining ball in the sky was nowhere to be seen. It was still. Then out of nowhere, sirens blared through the darkening night. Max jumped. Something inside was saying that this was for her.

Max looked into Fang's widened eyes. Though muddled from the dark, she could see his black pupils were heavily contrasted against the pure white sclera.

"Run."

The word slip barely slipped through Max's lips before the police car fish-tailed around the bend. Max did an army-roll off of Fang's chest, regained her footing, and raced away with her comrade. Red, white, and blue lights flashed. Tires burned on asphalt. Ear-splitting sirens screamed in pursuit.

"Max, we can't run away," Fang called out, his yelling barely heard over the madness. As Max turned, he stood and pointed west. "…But we can climb."

Blindly darting off to the side, Max quickly spotted a tree that loomed far above the earth. Its ragged, pointy tip seemed to jab into the purple sky, which bled multitudes of twinkling stars. Fang's solid hands wrapped around Max by the ribcage and held her up to a low bough. No sooner had the girl swung onto the thick branch than she felt Fang perch soundlessly right behind her. He gave her a slight but urgent push to climb higher. Groping in the inky blackness, the two scrambled up the rough bark as the police car screeched to a halt below.

Doors slammed. Two officers – both around the age of thirty-five; one short and balding and the other African-American with a stippled beard – jumped out and stared intently into the tree. Their eyes were anxious, but definitely not willing to risk life or limb falling out of a tree in the dark. One of them, the short and rather portly man, reached for a cellphone.

Punching in a number, he held the earpiece to the side of his head. "We found them."

**How is it? Please review.!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is the list of who is where on reviewing charts. Remember, the top ten reviewers will have a special part in the last chapter!**

**1. maximumridefan111**

**2. YouHaveToTakeAChance**

**3. IAmTheThirteenthOlympian**

**4. LiveLaughLove02**

**5. Annabell23**

**6. goldensunflowers**

**7. Anon13**

**8. Kiss Me Before I Die**

**9. Falmouth Falcons Fan**

**10. HeAt-StRoKe **

**And remember! This is not the final list. So keep reviewing. **

Somehow Max had always known that she would end up in a jail cell. She didn't know exactly why or when, or for what she did, but the fate just seemed to loom over her like a storm cloud. This, though, was an entirely new situation. The invincible Max was not only thrown behind bars, but the culprits that did so were her own parents… And as if that wasn't enough, she was sharing her miniscule cell with a fiancée that she hadn't chosen. So, I guess Max could say that she got one out of three correct.

As of now, she was sitting on the very edge of a frigid concrete ledge. These less-than-inviting shelves served as sleeping quarters for the jail detainees. The teen squeezed her eyes shut in angst. Yep, she was in detainee alright. She was in jail. Beside her, Fang sat wearing a dark scowl across his face. His hands were balled into fists. With Max's golden head resting on his muscled shoulder- she doubted any part of him wasn't covered in muscle- Fang encompassed his arm around her waist, squeezing her to his side.

Max's voice echoed softly across the gray concrete room. "Now this… This is ridiculous." she joked grimly. Fang's arm tightened its embrace around her. Letting out a long sigh, Max traced patterns on the back of Fang's tense hand, and watched in awe as the rigidity slowly leaked out.

"Maximum Gregory, Nicholas Dente," a gruff officer boomed, taking them by surprise. "Someone is here to see you." Max lifted her head from Fang's shoulder, looking directly into his black eyes. He returned the knowing glance.

I wonder who it is. Max joked to herself. As if she didn't already know. In a jingle of heavy keys, the cell was unlocked and the two were roughly escorted out. After a long walk down the white paint-chipped hallways, they finally got to the dim waiting room. "Maxie!"Max's mother exclaimed, practically springing from her cherry-red pumps. "I'm so sorry this happened to you! You must be so scared! It'll be okay. I promise. We can go home and I'll have one of the house-maids run you a hot bath. I'll even let you use some of my bath crystals, the ones that smell like pink roses!"

The woman smothered Max in a tight embrace, oblivious of her daughter's desperate struggling. "Let go." Max demanded.

Max's mother pulled herself away. A pained expression was creasing along her concealer-masked features. Such a shocked and innocent expression reminded Max of a lost puppy. "Max..." Valencia said quietly.

Hastily, Max zoomed back to the comfort of Fang's side and his arm wrapped protectively around her.

Jeb waltzed bow-legged in front of the pair. "I see you two have met." he snarled. His voice was cold and uncaring.

Max snorted repugnantly in response. Fang instinctively pushed Max behind him, as if he could protect her from the cruelty that was being openly displayed. Max managed to tear herself away, walking closer to her father. She locked eyes with him – something that was seen only as a challenge in the Gregory family- and glared.

"How dare you." Jeb spat. "I've given you everything. And now, because you didn't like something, you run away from home? Ungrateful!"

Max flinched, Jeb's words plowing deep. She could feel his sinister snares wrap around her, holding her prisoner. Max's gaze became fiery. It was the gaze of rebellion. The look that said, "I will not go down without a fight. I will not obey your will. I will not be your playing piece." The whites of Jeb's eyes flashed ever so slightly. He recognized this look, and remained strong.

"We can discuss this when we get home," Max's mother interceded, hopping femininely right in the line of fire. "For now, let's say only nice things about each other." Though powerful, Max's mother had never been one to like public fights; never the one for lots of attention.

Max nodded her head in agreement. Max's father's glare lessened the tiniest fraction to show he would also comply. Fang, made of stone, said nothing.

Jeb and Valencia walked ahead urgently, silently ordering Max and Fang to follow. After a momentary pause, they did so reluctantly. What else were they going to do? Run away again? They were outside of the heavily-guarded county jail. They wouldn't get a block ahead before they were captured.

Within a few moments, the small group was led out in front to a black sports car – aerodynamic build, tinted windows, expensive tires, freshly washed and waxed. Jeb held the passenger door open for his wife before grabbing both Max and Fang by their shirts and shoving them into the back seat.

"Bastard," Max hissed, just loud enough for Jeb to hear.

Jeb seethed. "You watch your mouth, young lady. I am still your legal guardian and I will not hesitate to punish you for childish behavior," He threatened.

Max opened her mouth to speak again, but stopped at she felt Fang squeeze her small hand in his. He was telling her to keep her mouth shut. For the time being.

Jeb swiftly crossed the front of the vehicle and pulled his body into the driver's seat. The engine purred lucidly as he turned the key in the ignition. After mumbling a snarky "I told you so" to his wife, the man unwove his car from the parallel parking space and drove away.

In the back of the car, Max tugged her hand from Fang's grasp, once again trying to ignore the tingling feeling – physical and emotional – that surged through her. Fang, though, wasn't having that. Was he happy he was being forced to get married? No. But even the few short hours he had spent with Max had made him realize that marrying her couldn't be all that bad.

Holding onto Max's hand with a tighter grip, so as to not let her escape, he gave her a small smile. Max didn't return the smile and tried to pull away again.

"Stop it," Fang ordered her, his voice commanding. Max could feel his grip slowly splinter the slender bones.

"You are not my boss," Max retorted, digging her nails into the meaty part of his hand. "Therefore, I don't have to listen to you." Her rising voice matched the harshness of Fang's.

"No," Fang smiled devilishly. "but I am going to be your husband, so I can tell you what to do," The twenty-three year old was pushing his limits and he knew it. The rage that was barely simmering in Max was becoming a full-fledged storm; soon to annihilate everything in its path.

"No, you can't," Max snarled. "And I will not be marrying you," Her voice wavered with uncertainty.

_He's giving in to them! He really thinks he will be able to control me. _Max could feel the hot, bitter tears threaten to spill over and she pinched her eyes shut. She would not let them fall.

"Quit it! Both of you. You're acting like children!" Max's mother spoke up from the front seat. Max could tell that Valencia was on the brink of tears herself. The woman was strong, she knew. But when it came to her own daughter, her own blood, she seemed as though powerless.

Max ripped her hand from Fang's, once again, and stared out the window of the black car with bleary eyes. Seeing its reflections in the windows, she noted that the car and everyone inside it seemed to melt into the pitch night. How true that was.

Ten long minutes later, the car slithered up the circle driveway to the tan-bricked house. Every light in the house was still on, burning brightly in the darkness that surrounded the huge home.

"Get out," Jeb stated, ripping open the back car door. "Go straight inside to the front room."

Fang climbed out first, landing his sneakers in the lawn's cushy green turf. He offered Max a hand, which she blatantly ignored, and with an annoyed huff and an eye-roll headed toward the nearly blinding house. Max trailed behind. Her lungs filled with the cool, wet evening air that she used to enjoy while lying on her bed scribbling in her notebook. She didn't know why, but tonight it felt…different. Familiar still, but not exactly the same. Binding her jacket around her small frame, Max shook off the ominous feeling.

The group was nearing the wide double doors. Jeb unlocked them, and they swung open to the majestic foyer inside. Max entered. Same crystal chandelier. Same creamy wallpaper. Same pictures. Same staircase. But only Max noticed how foreign the house felt. This wasn't the house she used to know; the one that she grew up in. It was cold, strange, lonely, and waiting. For eighteen years this house had held secrets and lies. Now everything was being revealed. For eighteen years the house had been the home of a family that operated with bribes. Do this and you can have this. Do that and you can have that. Finally, the fragile system was being torn apart. The hard-earned trust banished from thought. Walking into the sitting room, Max came to an abrupt halt. Sitting on the love seat was no other than Charles and Anne Dente in all of their cold glory.

"Hello, Maximum," Charles nodded almost respectfully. "It's nice to finally meet you." Max rolled her eyes, not believing that it was, in any way, 'nice' to meet her. Not one person, except for her parents, had ever had a pleasant experience when meeting Max. Her best friend and gang member, Nudge, had probably had one of the worst. It was a Wednesday morning and, by no fault of Nudge's, Max's parents had decided that home-schooling just wasn't right for Max… A very bad idea in the making. Not only was it the middle of the week, but Max hadn't gotten what she wanted. Soon her first day back at school, when perky seven year old Nudge had approached her and introduced herself, (it was a very long introduction) Max hadn't even waited for the mocha colored girl to catch her breath before kicking her to the ground and stomping on her hand.

Now years later, Max could look back on that day and laugh. Nudge had forgiven Max before the apology had been thought of. However, right now was not a time for laughing.

"I can't say the same," Max barked. Her less-than-tactful reply earned her dirty glares form everyone but Fang.

"How dare you speak to guests like that! Who do you think you are?" Max's stare focused on Anne Dente, who was now standing. "Believe me when I say this: I don't care if you don't like what we've decided, but this is how it is going to be. Whether you like it or not."

Max arched an eyebrow at the woman, whose face was now a deadly shade of red. "Let's start from your first words," the teen mused. "'How dare I?' This little plan you've negotiated… News flash! It's ILLEGAL. I could call the police right now and tell them everything the Nightriders and Muted Sun have done, and probably get off without any problems. Number two: I'm Max. There's no thinking about it. And number thr-"

Max was interrupted by a hard smack that knocked her to the floor. Jumping up, not even bothering to put a hand to her swelling cheek, Max started preparing for a fight. That is, until Fang came to her rescue; snaring an arm securely around Max's waist and pulling her behind him. Max let him. Not thinking about what it must look like to the others in the room.

Now it was Charles' turn to standup. "Are you protecting her?" Fang's father asked, seeming to be an excited mixture of surprised and appalled. "Well this was definitely not expected… None of us would have guessed you two would have formed a relationship so quickly. We were prepared to give it a year, but now, oh but now I'm sure it can be reduced to three months if not less."

Mouth agape, Max stared at Fang with wide eyes. Fang seemed to look past her, blinking – his version of surprise.

"Are you God damn insane? He was stopping me from strangling all of you with my pinkie!" Max screeched, wriggling viciously out of Fang's grasp and turning to her father. "And if you ever touch me without my permission again," she continued, jabbing a finger in his face, "you'll regret everything you've ever done. Even blinking."

**Not really a lot happened in this chapter and we're sorry, but just wait until the next chapter. We think you'll enjoy it. Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

The summer had begun freely. For months, Max could go in the warm golden sun, swim in the outdoor and indoor pools, ride her silver colt -Cloudy- through the rolling green backyard, and spend the night at Nudge's or another female gang member's house, all to her heart's content. There had been no limits as to what she was allowed to do. Now, though, it was the tail-end of July. Almost overnight, Max had been sentenced to an imprisonment in her room. There she ate all of her meals, filled out her father's paperwork for gang leader training, and quietly entertained herself in the long hours that seemed to pass agonizingly slow. All in the silence and solitude of her own room.

However, today had begun differently. Max's tired, swimming eyes had opened long before their usual time. The room was painted alternating shades of smoky gray and creamy white. It was generally dimly lit, but some flashes of light streaked across Max's vision as odd silhouettes shuttled stage lights from one end of the wide room to the other. The teen lifted her head slightly. By the way she was positioned, Max immediately recognized that she was sitting up. In some sort of wooden chair, it felt like. What the...? Max's head shot upright. Aggh! My neck! She groaned mentally, grimacing. A little too late, the teen realized that her head had slouched over on her right shoulder during sleep. It felt sore and stiff, as if it'd stayed in the same position for hours. Max inhaled deeply, scrunching her eyes, and attempted a stretch. She couldn't move her arms. In fact, she couldn't inhale all the way, either. Panicked, Max lowered her head. From the waist up, the teen found, she was tied to the chair with coarse rope. Orbiting her, flustered members of Muted Sun bustled about the room preparing Max for that evening.

Two days after Fang and Max had been arrested, Muted Sun and the Nightriders had been informed about the engagement. There had been about two members, from both gangs combined, who had not been completely against the idea. The entire time each member had been in one of the two gangs, they had had it nailed into them that the opposing gang was to be obliterated in the end. And now, after everything they had been taught, they were being told that plans were being changed, that there was going to be a truce.

This had not been easily accepted at all, but no one had said a word. If they left the gang because they didn't like something, they would be murdered. Annihilated. Snuffed out. Gone without a trace. Since members were sworn to secrecy upon entering the gang, there was no way that any of the leaders would let that confidentiality be threatened by letting any member leave alive. So, with their heads down, the members kept Max reasonably calm as she was aptly fitted, dressed, slathered, scrubbed, plucked, shaved, powdered, and painted. This is torture, the teen brooded angrily to herself. I'm not a person to these creeps. I'm nothing more than a trussed-up Thanksgiving turkey.

After a matter of four and a half hours, Valencia Gregory quietly glided into her daughter's room. Her stoical hair and makeup were unmoving, but the woman's honey-colored eyes glistened in the light. Max glared at her with no mercy. The rage that had been contained within the teen all day broke through the controlled composure. Her heart quickened. Her blood chilled. Her cheeks burned, and her eyes ignited like that of a lioness taking down her prey. Shrieking, Max lunged at her mother; tearing through the rope as if they were tissue paper. Unfortunately, Max hadn't realized that there was another reason that gang members were by her side - to grab her if she did break free.

"Don't ruin my masterpiece!" Nudge howled at Max's temporary confiners. "I spent all day on her!"

Valencia, who seemed unfazed by her daughter's violent actions, simply walked forward and cupped Max's face in her strangely soft hands. "You look…amazing," The woman whispered, tears pooling; threatening to spill over.

Max snorted at her mother's sorrow. Silently, ever so silently, the shining liquid rolled over and down Valencia's slender face. Max saw this and smiled. Deep down, she wasn't trying to be cruel; to hurt her the woman who had taken care of her for eighteen years - she did love her – but she felt the overwhelming need to hurt Valencia the way she was hurting.

Valencia gazed lovingly into her daughter's eyes. Max could see that she was fighting with herself; on whether to give her daughter the embrace she desperately needed or to stay back in fear of getting her head bitten off, on whether she would seek the well-being of her daughter or the well-being of the entire southern Chicago population. Eventually, Valencia chose the latter on both. "Max… Max please, forgive me," the woman pleaded, more tears tumbling down her cheeks. "We have no other options. Do you realize what will happen if….if this marriage isn't put through? Do you even begin to understand the damage it will cause? To our gang? To us? Not only that, but it's not like our activity goes completely unnoticed by city officials, no matter how discrete our actions. If a war is declared, ordinary, normal people could get hurt. Even killed."

Max took a deep breath. When she was ready, she lifted her untrusting brown eyes. "What is more important?" she stated flatly. "How this will affect me? Or how this will affect you and the rest of Muted Sun?"

A pang in her heart reminded Maximum that she knew she was being selfish. She knew that obviously the gang was more important than just her - that almost everyone was more important than her when it came down to it- but she wanted to see what was more imperative in her mother's eyes.

"What's more important is what is best for both Muted Sun, and then for the rest of us. Max, this is part of the bigger picture. This is what happened to Jeb and I, and this is what is taking place with you and Nicholas. You don't have a say in this anymore. Stop being stubborn and accept your responsibilities."

Max paused a minute to process the information that had just been presented to her. This is what happened to Jeb and I…. Max realized what that meant. Her mother hadn't chosen to marry Jeb; her mother had been forced to marry him. It hadn't been her choice either. And now she was forcing her daughter into the same grief.

Despite what most would think, this information did not help her understand her mother's choices, but made her angrier. Weren't parents supposed to want better for their children?

"So even though you were forced to marry someone you didn't love, forced to give away your freedom, you are going to make me do the same? This has nothing to do with responsibility at all. All this has to do with is the fact that something bad happened to you and now you're forcing the same to happen to me. And now you have a deal with the second most powerful gang in this city, that I will marry the son of the Nightrider's leaders so you can combine the gangs together so your power won't be threatened. Well guess what? The Nightriders won't have to threaten your power anymore because I am taking that authority. I will take everything from you: the gang, the money, the power, and I will be taking myself out of your hands."

Valencia scowled at her daughter. This was no ordinary scowl though; this was a look of pure anger and disbelief. Tears dried. Eyes widened. Jaw clenching. Max, however, didn't exactly care about her mother's feelings right now. Right now, she was being selfish. Smiling at Sam and Ari - Max's captors - she pulled her arms free from their control and put a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder. She applied just enough pressure to show her authority as she pushed the woman towards the door leading out of the bedroom.

Max grimaced, almost gagging at the sickly sweet smell that still lingered in the room. She announced for everyone on the premises to open the shuttered windows.

"Max! Sit your ass down in this chair," Nudge demanded. "We only have ten minutes to finish getting you ready." Max stared at the mocha-skinned girl and frowned.

"What am I being readied for?" Max retorted.

Nudge shot her an appalled look. "Your date with Mr. Dente, of course!" the girl said, throwing up her hands. Max reddened, feeling like a complete idiot. Of course. She knew that. Soon, though, her embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

"What?" Max's voice dropped into a low, menacing sound. A sound that warned of an outburst. "I'm sorry, but no. Help me out of these clothes right now."

"Max!" Nudge whined. "Please, I don't want to get in trouble. Just behave. I don't agree, you know that. We can't stop this though."

"You can't stop this, but I can, and I will." The angry and confused teenager started to walk out of her room, but then the sound of the doorbell being rung made her freeze.

Rushing to the glass wall on the far wall of her room, Max looked down, only to see what was possibly her worst nightmare. A black limo was pulled in front of the main entrance and Fang was standing at the door. A dark whisper just barely passed through her lips, "Oh hell no."

In a fury, Max ordered the gang members out of her room. Their eyes showed worried reluctance at first, but the team quickly complied with orders once Max started to threaten violence. When dealing with that particular girl and her threats, one would quickly find out that a threat was more like a promise.

The single person that dared not to leave the room was Nudge. Max angled her body towards her, shooting an ugly glare. She meant business. Nudge just responded with a smirk.

"I told you to leave the room," Max hissed at her friend.

Crossing her arms over her chest in a defiant pose, Nudge responded, "And I was told to prepare you for your date tonight. I am not – repeat, NOT - going to let five hours of work go to waste. Please Max," The milky dark girl was now pleading. "Please, just do this for me if not for anyone else. Besides, I know you like him."

Max's cheeks flushed in utter embarrassment. After the initial shock, the teen rebounded, trying to play it off as anger. "Nudge, that is completely ridiculous. I do not like him. We both just agree that…that what our parents have decided isn't right, so we agreed to work together."

"Uh-huh. Okay. But just so you know, he likes you too," Max made a growling noise in her throat. Though, now that the girl thought about it, she could say that there was a slight possibility that Fang might like her, but only as a person. The way he held her hand, or pulled her behind him to protect her despite the fact that she didn't need it; the possibility grew larger every time an action of care was made. And Max was losing count.

And even as Max thought that to herself, even as she squelched the truth down as far down as it would go, she knew that she was still lying. Max was shoved out of her thinking by soft footsteps ascending the stairs. Throwing the door closed as quietly as possible, she fastened the lock into place.

Nudge cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled. "She's in he-!" In a matter of seconds, Max clapped a hand over the girl's mouth.

"Shut. The. Hell. Up." Max snarled furiously. However, Max's attempt of escape was quickly smothered by a knocking on the door.

"Max, it's Fang," a smooth, familiar voice called; muffled slightly by the door. "Are you ready to go?" Max's angry face fell and turned to a look of fear.

"Go away! I'm staying right here and there's nothing you can do about it!" Max's voice faltered as she realized Nudge had made her way to the door and was now unbolting the heavy lock. As if in slow motion, the door swung open to reveal Fang in all of his black-clad glory.

Fang offered a half smile and walked into the room. Looking around, his eyes finally rested back on Max, who was scowling. "Come on, Maxie. We all know that you're secretly excited for this," Fang joked.

Max's scowl turned into a glare. "You aren't serious. Are you?" Fang winked at her in response and grabbed her hand despite Max's attempt to keep it from his grasp. Max once again felt that strange electric charge that zipped through her only when Fang was around. Max hated it. It made her feel so weak. Vulnerable. Almost…girly. Everything but the Invincible Max she was. It made her want to be closer to Fang; it made her want to fight the sickening instinct that should have told her to pull away.

"You look beautiful." Fang whispered as he dragged her closer to him. He kissed her hand and for the slightest moment Max wished that the kiss had been placed on her lips instead. Max blushed, not because of the compliment or the kiss, but the path her thoughts had taken.

A tingly feeling still resided in Max's arm and she could swear that it was spreading for every moment that Fang held her hand. In the meanwhile, while Max was talking to herself in her head, Fang had managed to lead her out of her bedroom, down the stairs, and out the front entrance to his limo. He opened the door for her, gesturing for her to climb in. When she didn't respond, Fang snapped his fingers in front of her face. That proved to be unsuccessful as well.

Sighing, Fang put a hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. He cupped her flushed face in his large hand, making sure not to smudge her makeup, and leaned forward. Just as Fang was about to press his lips to Max's, she gasped and reeled back into Fang's car.

"W-what are you doing?" Max's breath came out in heavy puffs, and her eyes were wild. Fang didn't respond and instead, motioned for Max to get in the car. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Get in, Max." Fang ordered. His voice wasn't cold or commanding. Just tired and stressed.

Deciding to give him a break from her stubbornness, she agreed and climbed into the limo; all the while trying to keep her annoying retched dress from running up her thigh. Irritated with mostly the entire world, Max viciously pulled at the soft silver fabric.

Fang slid in next to her and she realized how nice he looked in his black (duh) dress pants and a black button-up shirt. Max also noticed that Fang had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, revealing tanned and muscular arms.

Despite the vast amount of room in the back of the limo, Max moved to sit right by Fang and leaned against his shoulder. Fang stiffened and Max realized what she had just done. She started to pull away, but Fang's arm darted out and wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back to him. "Don't," he said.

"Fang, I-" Max was cut off as she looked up at him. His eyes gazed back at her with mixed emotions. One of those emotions, Max realized, was lust. Another was sadness, over what, Max didn't know.

While Max had been studying Fang's eyes, the two had come closer together. Fang's hand rested on the back of his fiancée's neck and Max's hand lay on Fang's shoulder, the fingers of their free hands intertwined with each other's. Without thinking, both adults leaned in and pressed their lips to the other's. Sparks ignited like firecrackers. The hot carbonation that Max often felt at Fang's touch sizzled ten-fold through her veins. Forgetting everything before this moment, the two pulled closer together.

Max ripped herself away from Fang's embrace. This is what she had been afraid of. This is what she'd prepared for so long to avoid. She would not get closer to him, she'd vowed. And yet, here she was: full-on making out with her worst enemy in the back of a freaking limo. How could this have happened? Why did I let him get so close to me? Max thought in a rage. Angry with herself for falling for Fang's tricks, Max immediately slid to a cold seat on the other side of the limo.

**Haha! We're the only ones that know what's going to happen. Review ifyou want the next chapter to be put up and reveal where Max and Fang are much is in store for you guys…. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Twelve reviews for one chapter! Thank you guys so much. Also want tothank the ones who have reviewed the story constantly and that would be to: **

**maximuridefan111 **

**YouHaveToTakeAChance **

**Anon13 **

**IAmTheThirteenthOlympian**

**Kiss Me Before I Die **

**goldensunflowers**

**Thank you so much for taking the time to review. We're almost at fifty!**

Slowly and smoothly, the polished black limo pulled its length up the circular driveway of an extravagant Italian restaurant. "La Bella Donna" hung on the building's broad, ivy-clad face; contoured by soft lights. Silver and gold sparkled elegantly about the awning that sheltered the heavy crystal doors. Despite its beauty, Max glared at Fang.

"This is too expensive," she stated flatly.

Max looked down at her phone where JJ - Jennifer Joy; one of Max's best friends and gang members - had finally texted her back. Max smiled slightly at the abbreviated message. Unlike most others, Max refused to use common shorthand. She found it pointless, even if it did take less time. Quickly, Max typed back that she would see JJ later. A smile tugged at her lips, thinking of the message's double meaning. Only she and JJ knew what that casual "See you later" meant. Furthermore, Max was comforted by the fact that if someone were to look at her messages, they would appear completely harmless.

"Get out," Fang said, frowning. "I'm not in the mood for your spoiled brat act." In the additional ten minutes that the car ride had taken after the kissing incident, Fang's mood had shot to hell. Max replied with a cynical face.

"Boo-hoo. Get over it. Just because you didn't get what you want. We shouldn't have kissed and you know it," Max said looking away. "Besides, it wasn't part of the plan. Stick to the plan and stop acting like a baby. Now tell your driver to take me home."

Max was playing Fang to her advantage, knowing full well that he wasn't going to listen to her. Fang looked at her darkly and pushed open his door right as the driver came to get the door for him. He stepped onto the lawn. "Out."

Max just smirked at his frustration. Cocking one leg over the other, she sat back and sank into the limo's fine leather cushions. "Or what?" She purred sarcastically. "What are you going to do about it?"

Fang took a deep breath, trying with great strength to not rip his fiancée out of the car and drag her by the hair into the restaurant. He already knew Max didn't want to be here, but he had been slightly looking forward to the evening with her. Maybe they could find an agreement that would somehow get them through the arrangement that had been made. Though, it didn't seem Max was cooperating.

After one more breath, Fang leaned into the car and pulled his face in about twelve inches away from Max's. "Get. Out. Of. The. Car." He enunciated through gritted teeth. Max glared at the twenty-three year old and pulled out her cell phone, feigning interest. Fang lost it. It had only been a week, but he was done with this nonsense. He ripped the phone from Max's grasp and shoved it into his pocket. "Get out!" He screamed. Max's face flushed with surprise as Fang gripped her bicep and roughly yanked her out of the lack limo. He released his hold only when she had her feet on the ground, and pushed her towards the entrance of the building where they were being forced to spend their night.

Unwilling to anger Fang anymore at the moment, Max walked of her own free will through the door that was being held open.

"Reservation for 'Ride,'" Fang spoke out, getting the hostess's attention. Though sounding normal to anyone else, Max could hear the trace anger that was in his voice. Fang's shoulders were strung-up, tense.

The hostess looked down at the roster on the podium, absent-mindedly twirling a piece of her red hair around her finger. After marking something down with her bobble-headed pen, she looked at Fang again. "Right this way, Mr. Ride," The girl smiled. That seductive grin made Max's blood boil, though she didn't know why. Noticing how Max had tensed up when the girl smiled at him, Fang smirked.

_Look at that_, Fang mused. _Max, the invincible, is jealous._ This thought caused Fang's smirk to progress into a full blown grin. When they got to the white satin covered table, Max looked at Fang and her eyes widened. Fang quickly turned his face into an impassive mask while he pulled out a chair for Max, a chair that she completely ignored.

Fang rolled his eyes at Max as she sat down in the chair opposite him. "Your server will be with you in a moment." The red-head chirped, winking at Fang. While catching her eye for just a moment, Max sent the girl a hateful look that had her fleeing the area.

"Come on Maxie," Fang teased. "Loosen up. She was just being nice." Max directed her glare at Fang.

"Number one, my name is Max. Not Maxie. And number two, if that was just being nice, I don't even want to think about -" Fang put his hand up to interrupt her and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Whatever, Max," Fang replied as the waiter came to take their drink orders. Fang asked for a red wine, while Max just wanted a Pepsi.

Now was the time. Operation: Escape was going into effect. "I'm going to the restroom." Max excused herself, scooting from the table. She stood, wobbling in her heels, and smoothed her dress before clickity-clacking off. Pushing open the white and black door, Max walked into the extravagant bathroom. With its sparkling sinks, scrubbed tile flooring, and impeccable taste, the room looked as if it belonged in a mansion.

The teen looked around urgently. The coast was clear. "JJ…JJ!" Max hissed. "Come out. I know you're in here." She was so eager to get on with the plan, her hands were shaking.

During the time that no one had been paying attention to her that day, Max and JJ had been coming up with an escape plan. The problem was, though, Max had not known exactly where she was going with Fang, so JJ offered to just follow the limo. When they reached their destination, Max was supposed to wait ten minutes and then go to the restroom where she would meet Jennifer Joy to escape. Fang had made it clear that he was going to try his best to have them both enjoy this evening. But, as usual, Max refused to comply.

The pretty, cinnamon-haired girl slid out of a nearby stall. Wearing her trademark green shirt, JJ's freckles adorned her sly half-smile. "Having fun?" she asked. Her voice was dripping sarcasm. "I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Here are your things." Quickly, she dumped a black backpack - with a lock holding the zipper closed - into Max's open arms.

"Thank you so much!" Max blubbered, gripping the bag and fingering the lock. "What's the combination?" There was no time to waste. Max knew well that Fang would be paying attention to how long she was gone. If she dilly-dallied one moment too long, he would get suspicious and come looking for her.

"What's your rush?" JJ asked innocently. Max arched an eyebrow. "Oh. Right. Okay, umm, the combination is 25-13-8. …Be careful, okay?"

Max nodded, ripped the lock off of the bag, and grabbed a spare set of clothing- a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her boots. Locking a stall door, the teen peeled off her formal attire and wiggled into her own outfit; emerging only two minutes later. She rapidly shoved the heels, dress, and purse in JJ's general direction.

There was a knock on the locked bathroom door. "Max! What are you doing?" an all-too-familiar voice called roughly. Max's heart stopped. She looked at JJ, who fearfully mouthed a believable reply.

"I'll be out in a minute!" Max yelled through the door, thanking God that her voice sounded normal and not panicked. Well, that is until she heard the creak that signaled Fang had leaned against the wall. The creak that signaled that the fire escape just outside the bathroom door was no longer an option. Max shot her friend a look of pure terror.

JJ looked around for an escape route. Her eyes landed on the window set above the mirrors on the beige walls. JJ pointed at them and then motioned for Max to climb up on the sink. Max did so without arguing. Slowly, the eighteen year old girl stood up, making sure her feet were firmly planted and unlocked the window.

"Max, come on." Fang said. His voice was thin and Max knew he was running low on patience. The whites of JJ's eyes flashed as the door trembled under Fang's weight. "Max… Why is the door locked?" The door was shoved again and the lock started to slide out of place.

Quickly and without hesitation, Max pushed the window open. The hinges shrieked in protest. Max heard Fang muttering obscenities outside of the door, and then the jingle of keys. "Max! Go!" JJ yelled, not bothering to muffle her voice.

JJ threw the backpack at her friend, and it was shoved out of the window. Max pulled herself onto the ledge just as the door slammed into the wall. JJ had just enough time to duck into a stall without being seen as Fang raced past the manager and into the bathroom.

"Max! Get down here now!" Fang's heart was beating quickly. He couldn't let her escape. He was just getting to know her. Not to mention the danger she would be in if she was by herself. He watched as Max pulled her legs through the window and he lowered his voice. "Max. Please." Fang's voice had taken a much gentler tone. He sounded desperate. He'd calmed enough to make his fiancée look at him with her sad eyes.

"I'm sorry. I truly am." Max said. She pulled her body out of the window and took off, swinging the black bag over her shoulders.

"No!" Fang yelled. He turned, wove a way through the crowd, pushed through the heavy doors and took off in the direction Max had headed. Little did he know that Max had known he would follow her, had known that he didn't think her smart enough to come up with a plan such as the one that had just been executed, and had already had her route planned. Soon, Fang would find that his soon-to-be wife was headed in the opposite direction.

**Please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like about the chapter. Questions are also welcome.**


	8. Chapter 8

Fang sloshed through the streets, his shoes and the cuffs of his pants drenched in water and mud. Three torturous hours, and absolutely no sign of Max. It was well after dark. No moon. No stars. Just pitch black all around. The twenty-three year old's heart ached – from exactly what, he did not know. All he could recognize was a yearning for the girl he barely knew. A fire that grew stronger every time he thought about her.

Pushing open just one of the wide double doors that led into the front room of the Dente household, Fang dragged himself inside. The hunger that was radiating through his stomach went unnoticed as he came face-to-face with his beaming mother.

"So, how did it go?" Mrs. Dente asked excitedly. She was not fond of the rebellious Gregory girl. No, not one bit. But Mrs. Dente had forced herself to look at the bright side of the arrangement. The bright side almost blinded her when she saw her son smile while he was getting ready for his and Max's first official meeting.

Fang looked at his mother through fingers of dark, damp hair. "She left," He said finally. "I've been looking for her. The past three hours. She left. I've been looking for her. …The past three hours."

At this, Charles Dente threw down his evening newspaper; staring at his son in shock. Anger boiled in him, ready to burst out. Not only had Maximum run away, but he realized that his son was absolutely distraught over the girl's disappearance. How weak he was acting was inexcusable.

Charles leapt from his comfortable spot in his chaise lounge chair. His cold eyes were ablaze. "Look at me," Charles demanded of his son. "How did she get away? What did you do?"

Fang looked up at his father's second question. He started out calm. Unfeeling. "Bathroom window. Looked for her for three hours. She left… Said she was sorry!" As the young man talked, his voice had steadily grown louder. He slammed his hand against the wall, making a dent in the once-spotless white enamel.

Fang's mother rushed forward and grabbed her son's arm as he slumped to the floor, giving in to the feelings that had started to eat him alive. "Nicholas, stand up and go to bed." She soothed. Fang sat there on the hardwood floor; silent, as if he hadn't heard her.

"Why are you acting like this?" Mr. Dente roared. "Your mother said to stand up. Stand up!" Fang flinched at his father's harsh tone. He realized that he could answer his own question in his head.

_Because I love her._ Fang's own thoughts startled him enough to make him get to his feet. _Because I love her. _ The thought sent an electric current – a bolt of lightning – through the boy's body. As much as the feeling shot through every vein in his body, it seemed to hover in his heart as well.

"…Because I love her." He whispered.

Mrs. Dente's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She tossed her dark hair to the side and stared in disbelief at her husband. The mouths of both parents were open, but no words could come out. Fang's very words startled them. For as long as he was in the family, Fang never verbally or physically admitted his love for his parents. Ever. And now, not only did he admit his love for Max out loud, but the completely wrecked state he was in was proof.

"Have to find her," Fang said dreamily. "I have to find her…"

Pushing his mother's hand away from him, Fang left the house, following an invisible path.

_Ugh. _Max thought as another raindrop fell onto her hoodie. The sky was black, and only small streetlamps now guided her path. After about an hour of running, Max had hopped onto the back of pick-up and let it take her wherever the hell it had been going. Two hours later, she was definitely not in Chicago anymore. Now, Max's boots tramped along the soft, puddle-laden surface of a remote back-road somewhere in northern Illinois. Or Indiana. Or Michigan. Or Narnia.

The girl pulled the drawstrings, tightening her hood into a puckered pair of lips. She shoved her hands underneath her armpits, fighting against the bitter cold. How Max hated the cold. She kind of the liked the peace and quiet, though. Still, it was strange. Max caught herself thinking more and more about Fang. She re-lived the past few hours of the night at the restaurant. How anguished his eyes had been when she had apologized. A tiny piece of her heart was panged. She really had meant it. She shivered the feeling off.

The light drizzle soon became a full-on downpour as Max sought desperately for any means of shelter. _This will have to do_, the teen thought as she started for the lush forest on the side of the road. Walking into the opening of two large oaks, Max remembered herself and Fang sitting in the one in the park. She remembered the way the sun looked as it ran through Fang's shaggy, dark hair. She remembered falling out of it, and how quickly her heart had raced.

The girl shook her head. None of that would be tolerated. Not tonight. Max slipped the toe of her boot into a knot in the tree's trunk, braced her hands against a branch, and hoisted herself up. Up and up the teen climbed. Heights were the least of her concern, so she kept climbing until she found a tree branch wide enough for her to be able to sit on and not worry about falling if she did happen to move a little in her sleep. Max strapped her bag to the branch above her and moved around until she was at least somewhat comfortable. The full realization of her exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. Now she could barely keep her eyes open. The green, wet setting faded. Max was straddling the line between sleep and consciousness. Slowly…slowly…she let fatigue overcome her.

_Goodnight, Fang. _

**I know it isn't very long, but this is as much as I could do for this particular chapter. Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! We really appreciate it. Also I will be putting up a poll for s story we are thinking about doing. It will have the summary and all you will need to do is answer yes or no.**

_Rain rain go away, don't come again another day,_ Fang thought cynically as he slouched through buckets and buckets of the freezing water that fell from the sky. His whole body ached, right down to the marrow of his bones. Though starving, shivering wet, and so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open, Fang refused to stop and rest. He had to find her. Even if he had decided to go and eat or sit down, the twenty-three year old seriously doubted that his legs would allow him to.

It was around five in the morning. Faint orange light barely peaked through small holes in the cloud-covered sky, signaling sunrise.

Looking around his surroundings, the completely drenched young man realized how quiet it was. How there was no population present anywhere. The only noise was the regular pattering of rain.

_If I were Max, where would I be? _ Fang asked himself, once again surveying his surroundings. _She wouldn't have gone too far. _Though, yes, he barely knew Max, he believed in himself enough to know that Max was much too untrusting, and much too aware of how easily it would be to be found if she bought a train or airplane ticket. She would have walked most of the way.

A large group of trees came into focus as Fang rounded the corner of a gravel road.

"There." He whispered with conviction. The pounding of the boy's heart grew stronger and faster with every step closer he came to the lush, green forest.

After stepping into the slight coverage the giant branches had to offer, Fang realized that Max most likely would be hiding in a tree. Far away from what the eyes could see, but not too far away from civilization.

Fang's gaze swept through the line of trees in front of him, briefly flashing over a small dot of gold, before continuing. A small gasp came from the same direction high in an oak tree.

Fang's head snapped back to where he had seen it. Sure enough, the silhouette of a long and toned body materialized from the shadows, hiding amongst the branches. Even from the ground, Fang could see the girl's eyes boil a deadly shade of blue.

"Max!" Fang yelled, his voice cracking with relief. His weary heart beat even faster.

"Go away!" Max reached up to untie her backpack and quickly strap it around herself. "Leave me alone." she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

Fang gripped the tree's sturdy trunk, digging his fingernails into its carved veins, and began to climb. "I can't." he said finally. Making careful movements, so as to not scare her away like a frightened animal, he scaled up the rough bark of the tree.

"And why would that be?" Max whispered as Fang got closer. The young man said nothing and continued climbing. He was almost within touching distance of her.

"And why would that be?" Max asked again, unsure if he had been able to hear her.

Slowly, Fang swung himself onto the branch Max was perched in, and gazed into her eyes. In that moment, Fang forgot about her hate-filled words and sarcastic comments. Max's eyes showed fear and confusion. Hate and pain. But also…something Fang couldn't read. Something that Fang had never seen before.

"It would be," Fang started. "Because I love you." And without a moment's hesitation, he had pulled Max to him and pressed his lips to hers.

Max gasped, but didn't pull away. Instead, her hands found their way to her fiancé's shoulders and then his hair, making sure there was nothing separating them.

The kiss wasn't hungry, but sweet and caring. It was a kiss unlike any other, and portrayed perfectly how helplessly in love Fang had fallen. For only a moment, Fang was sure Max was sending the same message, even if she wouldn't admit so out loud.

When the two pulled away from each other, Fang's grip did not loosen from around Max's waist. She was not going to escape this time.

"I can't do this," Max whispered as she struggled against Fang. "This isn't right. It's not okay!" Her voice rose to a shout. "Can't you see? This," she said, motioning to herself and then Fang, "isn't okay."

"And why isn't it?" Fang asked. "What would be so wrong about being together? About loving each other?"

"What would be wrong with it? Are you seriously asking me such a dumb question? There are piles upon piles of things wrong with this!" Max had started creeping close to the edge of hysteria, and was now beginning to fall over the edge and straight into its grasp.

Fang noticed this immediately. The only thing he could think of to do was to wrap his arms more tightly around her, and to his utmost surprise it worked.

"Name one," He whispered, his breath grazing her cheek. "Give me one good reason that this is wrong, and I promise to do whatever you say."

Max's eyes widened with his request. Was he serious? Would he really follow whatever plan she had in mind?

"One reason," She said, "is because we are being used. If this plan had never had been made, we would've continued hating each other through eternity. And…" Max started to say something else. Something that would not have helped her if the thought had been allowed to continue.

Fang raised an eyebrow. "And?" He asked. The first one was a good reason, but now he wanted to know what she was going to say.

_Because I'm scared to love you. _Max's eyed widened, when not only did the thought finish itself in her head, but it had accidentally been spoken aloud.

Fang moved one of his hands under Max's chin, his thumb tracing her bottom lip. He smiled slightly and made her look him in the eye.

"Why?" The word was barely whispered and Fang wasn't sure if Max heard.

"Because I don't want to fall. Love is weakness." Her words rang with her belief in them, though Fang strongly disagreed.

"So you're scared? Max, love isn't weakness. Love is strength in its purest form. You have to know I would never purposefully hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

And Max realized it was the truth. Fang would never even think to harm her deliberately. He loved her, and she loved him. It was a bond that should never have been made, but it was a bond that was never going to falter. It was a bond that would hold strong no matter what strain was put on it.

So to answer his question, Max pulled Fang in and kissed him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy the chapter. If you read my notes at the top, in your review put the word 'discover' in you review and you will be bumped up into the rankings. I just want to see how many people actually read them. So for get the word 'discover' and now put the word 'extraordinaire'. And if you really really love us you will put both because you read this note.**

The sky looming coldly above was decorated in white and dark blue. Softly twinkling stars began poking their timid heads through the thin clouds, though no one noticed. The minds and bodies of everyone on a certain Chicago inner-city street were only focused on the fight unfolding around them. Nothing else mattered except for their own survival.

Max and Fang hadn't been seen since the night before. The Nightriders blamed Muted Sun, and Muted sun blamed the Nightriders for both second-in-commands' disappearance. And suddenly, without any warning, a cry of pain came from the crowd. A cry from one of the two they had been searching for. Heads turned and saw the blond girl fall, a deep gash on the side of her face. The fight, which had only been unfolding, turned more violent and thirsty for blood. It was turning to a war faster than any other brawl before. For every one brought down on one side, two were brought down on the other. Add the price for an injury to the girl who was held as a princess to Muted Sun, and the offer was huge.

It was Nudge, one of the calmer members from Muted Sun, who re-engaged the fight. Her fist flew forwards from where she was standing beside Max's fallen form and collided solidly with a boy named Dylan from the Nightriders. The young man's turquoise eyes fluttered lightly just before he fell to the ground unconscious. Upon seeing this, Max's eyes widened in horror and she clambered to her feet; her hand slipping away from the gash located just below her cheekbone. Max held her arms up, signaling for everyone on both sides to stop, but the act was nothing. All at once fist were flying and knifes were swinging once again. Fang – who had been standing behind Max – pulled her backwards, trying to get her out of harm's path as quickly as possible while injuring as few as possible.

"Stay here." Fang said slowly. He looked straight into the girl's eyes, eyes that though were angry and frightened, lit up at his nearness.

"Fang -." Max started to protest, but she found it hard to do so with a mouth pressed to her own.

"Stay right here," Fang stated again. "Promise?" Max looked up into his eyes, crossing two fingers behind her back in a sign of disobediance, and nodded.

"I promise." The girl vowed. Fang nodded, turning his attention back to the fight that was getting deadlier with each second that ticked away.

Max had admitted to herself that she loved Fang, but she was Maximum. She wasn't the kind of girl who didn't do what she was told or listened when someone was talking to her. No. She was the girl people _thought_ they could control and boss around, and maybe for a while she had been, but no longer. So without hesitating, Max joined the fight. Well, not joined, more like she tried to bring sense to people's minds, but when that wasn't working, she resorted to violence. Max called on all the confusion and pain and emotional baggage that she had been carrying for the last couple of weeks and she used it to her advantage.

Fists and feet flying, Max was like a bird, her feet barely touching the ground. Every time her arm moved, one to four more members of either gang went down. Max's pace was so quick she didn't notice the foot that swept in front of her own, until she was pinned to the ground, her arms pinned above her head, and green eyes staring into her own. Sam Ulcher. Next-in-command under Max. Sam had always had a special place in the gang; was always respected no matter what he said or did.

"Maxie, Maxie, look at all the trouble you've caused this time," the shaggy-haired teen chuckled villainously; his green eyes blazing. His face was so close to hers that Max could feel his hot breath. "You really should have just stayed away. But no matter. Now that you're here, my job will be even easier."

Max stared at him in confusion, forgetting to fight against his hold on her wrists. _What does he mean 'his job will be even easier'?_

"You're probably confused," Sam sighed. "I need for there to be war. There cannot be a truce."

_Why would he need there to be a war? _ Then it clicked. If there was a truce, Sam's power would be diminished. He would no longer be in high rankings. He would be closer to the bottom than ever before. 

"Sam -."For the second time that night, Max was abruptly cut off. This time, though, it was not by a tender kiss; this time it was a sharp knee forcing all the air out of her lungs. Max heard a crack as Sam pushed more of his weight onto her ribcage. Max sucked in the little air she could, only to have it escape when two more cracks reverberated through her head.

"Stop, please." Max whimpered as burning tears threatened to spill over. Closing her eyes, Max thought to herself: _Pain is only a message. You can ignore the message._

It was of little use. Max was once again struggling, ignoring the stabbing pain that was growing worse inside her chest. Two more cracks and Max's vision was edged with creeping black. A punch to the side of the head, and she stopped struggling. Another crack and Max couldn't breathe. One last punch and Max's vision faded. One last thought circulated her mind: _I love you Fang._

And then the pressure was gone. No more pain. No more light. Not a sound. Swiftly and suddenly, Sam was gripped by the back of the shirt and thrown through the air, landing hard on the ground. Fang materialized, standing above him. Sam had landed on his neck with a blood-curdling crunch. Unmoving. Fang was unfazed. The deadly sound seemed to reverberate through the air, as all of the fighting instantly stopped. But Fang didn't care. All he cared about was the girl lying on the ground. The girl whose eyes were closed. The girl who's chest didn't rise and fall with breath. The girl he loved.

And when he knelt down beside her, laying two fingers gently on her neck for a pulse, his worst nightmare was realized.

Not a single pulse.

**Cliffy! Hahahaha! Here's the deal:**

**Lots of reviews and Max lives…for now.**

**Not a lot of reviews and she dies, never admitting her undying love for Fang.**

**Your choice. This choice lies solely in YOUR hands. **


	11. Chapter 11

**We are stunned. Completely stunned that we received so many reviews. Thirty-nine! You guys are awesome. We were also very happy to find out that so many people read our author's note. However I have bad news. Because of the amount of reviews we received last chapter we now know that people like this story and we've decided that if you don't want to take the thirty seconds to tell us what you thought about the chapter, we aren't going to post the new chapter. Does that mean that we will expect thirty-six reviews or more a chapter? No. It means that we will not post the chapter if we don't get half of that.**

_Please be okay. Please. I can't lose you, _Fang's thoughts crashed through his mind. They were a constant stampede of pain and regret. It also didn't help that he was sitting in her hospital room, looking at her broken body and bruised skin, hearing the faint blip of the heart monitor, and noting the doctor's distress about how low it was.

Fang clutched his fiancée's hand in his, hoping that maybe she would awaken if he only held it long enough. It had been almost a week since the fight, and heart monitor lines were taught. Fang had barely been allowed to stay in the room with Max, but her parents had finally given in after two days of him waiting on the floor outside of the private hospital room.

Fang looked down at their intertwined hands and swore he saw her finger twitch. The first thing he had done when he was granted permission to enter the room was hold her hand in his. It had apparently been a good idea too, because much to the doctor's delight, Max had finally responded – gripping Fang's hand, and not letting go since. The doctor had finally announced that Max was somewhat aware of her surroundings when Max's mother went to hold her other hand. Not only had Max not grabbed her mother's hand, but her heart rate had decreased.

Though it had affected her health, Fang was glad that Max was still fighting. And little did Fang know, but just his sitting by her was improving Max's mental and physical health.

Fang traced over Max's features with his eyes. Her pale skin, fluttering eyelids, high cheekbones, blond hair shifting slightly as her head moved side to side. Fang paused; making sure the movement had been real. Max's head was moving. The hand that wasn't holding Fang's reached out slightly and grabbed air.

Quickly, Fang pressed the alert button on the wall and in less than two minutes doctors had begun to crowd the room, checking her vital points and wounds.

The twenty-three year old just wanted to know what was going on in Max's head.

Something soft gave way beneath Max's feet. Her blonde hair blew gently in a small breeze. The sun shone brightly in the sky; white and radiant. The whole panorama was flat and beautiful. But ahead of her were two figures, two little silhouettes underneath the calm blue sky. As they moved closer, Max noted that both were the same height and shared blond haired, blue eyed features. A little boy and little girl. They were running towards Max now; their arms outstretched, waiting for an embrace. Max opened her arms too, welcoming the two small children.

"Hi Max," the little girl piped up, "I'm Angel and this is my brother Gazzy. We're here to show you something."

Before she knew what she was doing, Max held her hands out to the two small children – Angel and Gazzy – and let them lead the way over a rolling green hill and down into a calm valley.

"See?" Gazzy asked, voice radiating excitement. Max looked ahead, shielding her eyes from the bright sun, but saw nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a vast expanse of green grass and tall oak trees. Max noted that all of the oak trees looked exactly like the one Fang had discovered her in.

Max frowned. "Why do the trees all look the same?" she asked. Max looked to Angel for an answer, but the little girl just smiled at her and kept tugging on Max's arm. Finally, Max saw what the two had been talking about. Just beyond the layer of trees sat a black blanket with two adult-sized figures on it. Two people that Max quickly recognized as her and Fang.

"It's okay to be afraid of the future, Max," the little boy, Gazzy, now said. "But you can't let it control your decisions, because you'll end up getting hurt." It was incredible. The words that left this small child's mouth sounded like the words of a wise old man. Max was stunned by the maturity of the statement and the truth it held. She was scared of the future and that's why she was running away from it now.

Gazzy and Angel pulled her closer to the couple sitting on the blanket. Yes, it was definitely her and Fang. But older. The future-Max's hair was still golden and wavy, just as Fang's was dark and shaggy. But Max noticed that her clone's face was thinner; all the baby-fat had long since been trimmed away. She was taller. She was gentler. She didn't look like a teenage girl anymore…she looked like a young woman. Fang, too, had changed slightly. He was taller and broader. His features were more stark and chiseled, but held the nurturing, protective look of a provider. Both future-Max and Fang seemed to be in their late twenties. Upon catching a slight twinkle of light coming from the left of her clone, Max noticed a delicate diamond sitting upon the wedding band of her left ring finger. A matching one – though obviously diamondless – was wrapped around Fang's same finger.

"But Max," Angel looked at me, "if you keep running this won't ever be possible. You'll never get your happily ever after."

Max confirmed it within herself, in that moment, how much she wanted this to be real. She realized how badly she wanted to not have to worry about everything and just live her life.

"So will you? Please?" Angel and Gazzy spoke in harmony. Their voices melted perfectly together. Max smiled and looked over the both of them and nodded. They were beautiful children. A tiny pang of pride stuck into Max's swelling heart. They were her children. It was her children that were beautiful. She also noted with amusement that their ears were the same shape as Fang's, and that they had the same soft oval face-shape as herself. Just as a giggle was about to bubble out of Max's lips, the future-Fang stood and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Angel! Gazzy!" the clone called. "Come here you guys. Mommy's tired." Max's mouth dropped open.

"Coming Daddy!" With a final wave, Angel and Gazzy darted off to go meet their parents at the end of the field.

_Daddy?_ Max thought. She smiled, for once, with true happiness as the two children were grabbed by their parents and swung through the air.

Most of the doctors had left the room now. They had tried to make Fang leave, but as soon as he had taken his hand from Max's, she had stopped moving and her heart rate had dropped again.

_I'm right here, Max, _Fang thought; gazing devotedly into his love's unconscious face. _Just open your eyes. I'll be right here. _

Slowly, Max's eyes opened and she opened her mouth to groan. It was filled with pain, but that wasn't Fang's biggest concern at the moment. She would be okay. She could deal with pain, as long as she didn't die.

"Fang?" Max croaked. The twenty-three year old almost cried.

"I'm right here," Fang cooed, winding one of his fiancée's flaxen curls around his finger. "Right here…" Max smiled weakly.

**Alright. That's the chapter. Now here's the deal: We will not post the chapter until we have received at least nineteen reviews. That's only half of the reviews we received for the last chapter. It's also easier now that the review box just has to be clicked on to type in. Take that thirty seconds. Thanks again, and please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**You guys are awesome. An anonymous reviewer wanted to know where the competition list was. The last one was in chapter five I think. We have been meaning to make the new one and post it on my profile but we have not yet gotten around to it. Guess that really needs to be done. **

**Sadly, this story is now half-way done. The only thing I'm worried about is if some the top ten reviewers don't have an account. We can't message you if you were somewhere in there. And if you forget to add in the review the answer to your special part in chapter twenty-two the story can't be finished. The fate of the story will lie in your hands and I don't want to have to exclude somebody if they took the time to review. So yeah.**

"Fang." Max sighed as her eyes focused on his. The dark-haired boy gave her a half-hearted grin, failing to not show how sick with worry he had been.

He smoothed a hand over her soft, golden waves. "I'm right here, Max." Fang whispered. Gently, he brought her hand to his mouth, being careful of the IV needle piercing the vein in the top of it, and placed a gentle kiss on each of her fingertips.

Max smiled slightly. Just as she closed her eyes, a nurse ask her to open them so she could check her vitals. Max groaned, but did as she was told.

"I was so worried, Max," The twenty-three year old attempted to say calmly, but ended up choking up on the lump forming in his throat. "Why didn't you stay away? How hard could it have possibly been?" Fang's voice ended gently, yet strained. He needed to know what compelled her to disobey him after she'd promised.

As Max frowned and turned her head his way, a few tendrils of blond hair spilled over her shoulder. Aiming her sapphire eyes to the ground, she began to speak. "I couldn't Fang. It's not who I am to obey orders. I'm the opposite of that. I won't sit around and watch people I care about get hurt." Her voice was thick with tears, and she squeezed her eyes shut; cursing herself for being so weak. A comforting hand grazed her cheek and burned a path down her neck.

Gripping her chin delicately with only two fingers, Fang forced his love's head up. His black eyes pierced directly into her soul. "What about the fact that by you joining the fight, the people you care about were still hurt?" The young man stated more than asked. "Max…your heart stopped. You had no pulse. When we got you to the hospital you were only barely alive." Fang choked and his voice cracked.

Once again sighing, Max brought her hand up to caress her soon-to-be husband's cheek lightly. In turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. "I'm not dead though," she said coldly. "I'm perfectly alive."

Obviously, Max wasn't going to admit to her mistake. "Whatever, Max." Fang's voice was hostile. "Do whatever you want. It's not like you're going to hurt anyone any more than you already have."

"Fang -" Max started. But just then, Fang stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

_What have I done? _ Max screamed in her head over and over. Though growing feeble from fatigue, she slammed her fist on the hospital bed's crisp white sheets. How upset must've Fang been if it meant just getting up and leaving her like that? A pang of guilt, like rough shards of glass, stung in her heart. It was then that Angel's words came back to her. _"If you keep running, this won't ever be possible. You'll never get your happily ever after."_

Remembering the sweet little girl and her brother brought more tears to Max's eyes. _And if I keep running away I'll never get to see them again._

In that moment, Max realized that she couldn't just push things away when they got hard. She had to persevere. It was why her name was Maximum. Maximum everything. And to be Maximum, she had to learn to face the fears that caused her to run. There would be no more running from things not under her control.

Slapping her long hair out of her peripheral vision, the teen looked at the door longingly; knowing that she had no other choice but to wait for Fang to come back. Without her knowing, sleep overcame her. At the time of her awakening, Max had learned of her injuries. Five broken ribs, a concussion, four hairline fractures in her right arm, a break through the middle of her right leg, and sprained ankle. The doctors regretfully informed her that a full recovery would take months, and because of her broken leg, she would be in a wheelchair for two months while they made she healed properly.

Fun.

At some point during Max's rant, Fang had returned to the room and had taken her hand again. Max did not fail to notice the tingling sensation that his touch brought.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice barely audible. Fang cracked a smile, somehow managing to hear the apology, and squeezed her hand tightly in his own. Max clinched the bedsheets in her free hand and continued: "Fang… Fang, I am so sorry. I understand if I've completely destroyed any chance of _us. _I need you to know that I really am sorry."

Fang's black orbs held Max's blue ones. "I understand you're sorry," the young man stated in a dark, chilling voice. "but I need to know that you trust me. I'm not going to put effort forth if it's not going to be returned."

Still holding Fang's gaze, Max smiled up at her beloved Fang. "I promise." She whispered.

Two words that would either be the demise of the girl or her rise to power, had been said with such trust and determination that no one could have denied that they were real.

**So that's chapter twelve. Updates are going to be coming more rare. I had a very close friend of mine die and I'm trying to figure out the best way to continue life at the moment. Not only that but school starts for my co-writer on August 15****th**** and mine starts August 20****th****. Thank you for the reviews. We really appreciate it. Let's try and get to 180 or higher shall we?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello fellow readers,**

**We're afraid we come with some upsetting news. This story is going to be continued so don't worry about this story no longer existing if you like it. School has started and this year is very important. We have to do well. We tried, we really did, but it just wasn't possible for us to get one more chapter up before the school year started. So here's what's going to happen: the next chapter will be posted at latest on November 25. Updates aren't going to be very often for the next nine months though. Sorry, and I hope you guys all have good school years. Please review to this author's note with any questions or thoughts. Thanks.**

**-blindedbylife and QueenoftheTaterTots**


	14. SorryAgain

So…..um…hi. I know it's been a reeeeeeaaaaaalllllyyyyy log time sine we updated and unfortunately it's just another author's note. This story and any other unfinished storied are not being discontinued, but put on hold. We have tried writing the new chapters but there just isn't enough time. So when the summer comes around you can expect updates but not now. Sorry you guys. Happy holidays and happy new year. Hope you've had a better few months than we have. Love ya's.


End file.
